President Trump, left, and French President Emmanuel Macron share a toast during the state dinner at the White House in Washington on Tuesday. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)President Trump, left, and French President Emmanuel Macron share a toast during the state dinner at the White House in Washington on Tuesday. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

(Newser)
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"To America's absolutely incredible first lady, thank you for making this an evening we will always cherish and remember," President Trump said at his first White House state dinner Tuesday night—and he was far from the only one praising Melania Trump. The first lady, who wore a silver Chanel haute couture gown, seemed "wholly at ease" at a glitzy event that had been seen as her moment in the spotlight, the Washington Post reports. French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte, were the guests of honor at the dinner. The White House stressed that Melania Trump had a role in planning every aspect of the event, including the menu and the table settings, the AP reports.

The 123 attendees included Apple CEO Tim Cook, Henry Kissinger, two Winter Olympians, Rupert Murdoch, and his wife, Jerry Hall, CNN reports. Numerous Trump administration officials were also in attendance, though not Scott Pruitt, Jeff Sessions, or Ben Carson. Louisiana Gov. Bel Edwards was one of the only Democrats at the event. The three-course menu included rack of lamb and Louisiana dish jambalaya, and the Washington National Opera provided after-dinner entertainment. In his toast, Macron hailed the "unbreakable friendship" between the US and France and noted: "On both sides of the ocean some two years ago, very few would have bet on us being here together today." (Two gate-crashers made their way into the first of former President Obama's 13 state dinners.)